Saturday, November 27, 2010

Hot Air

While working at the shop this morning, a hot air balloon landed on the runway.

I'd been working on a carbon fiber wing spar, and noticed an unusual hissing/burning sound from outside:  just like a propane heater being turned on and off.

Walking outside the shop door to investigate, a balloon floated and touched down mid-runway!

Fun!  A couple of us airport guys watched and talked with the pilot and crew as they loaded the balloon into their chase pickup.  The winds were calm, so they used a little envelope heat to help lift the balloon into the back of the pickup.  The balloon was then tilted over and collapsed.